The Passage of Time
by Zingara
Summary: Time passes in all places. In one time and place, the Order of the Phoenix is idle once more. In another, it is in full effect. What separates these places is a veil of seventeen years. PrequelSequel to ATPCB HBP Spoilers
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Time passes in all places. In one time and place, the Order of the Phoenix is idle once more; Voldemort has been gone for ten peaceful years. However, in another, it is in full effect, as the need for it still exists as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix search for a way to destroy Lord Voldemort once and for all. What separates these places is a veil of seventeen years.

* * *

After the death of Albus Dumbledore, the fate of Hogwarts was not very bright. Many were skeptical about the safty of the school; if one of the most powerful wizards of the century, in charge of the school, could be undone, how thin was the tread keeping the students safe? After several serious discussions on the fate of the school, it was decided that it would indeed reamain open for any who wished to return. Many parents shared the belief that hogwarts was still safer than many other places in their world.

So as it had every year in the many centuries past, the scarlet engin of the Hogwarts Express sat at Platform 9 ¾. This year there were only three Weasley's on the platform, amogst the smaller crowd of students.

"Now be careful this year," Molly Weasley told her daughter, smiling.

"But have some fun too," Arthur said, hugging her. Worry tugged at their hearts. With this Second War, as everyone was calling it, going on, there was a constant shadow over everything in life.

"See you at Christmas," Ginny replied, hugging each of her parents before boarding the Hogwarts Express. Finding an empty compartment she sat down and like in the years before, waved to her parents as the train rolled out of the station.

It was a few minutes into the train ride before the door opened, a dark blonde girl with brown eyes walking in and sitting across from Ginny. She was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt with a dark blue zip-up jacket over it.

"Hey Ginny," the girl said happily. "Sorry I couldn't meet up with you in Diagon Alley. Mum and Dad hate that place. I'm surprised they've let me come back to Hogwarts year after year." Chloe's parents where avid Protestants and weren't exactly comfortable with their daughter being a witch.

"After this year we won't have to deal with things like that. We'll be on our own. Scary thought, isn't it," Ginny said, smiling. "What ever will we do with ourselves, Chloe?"

"Oh many a thing Ginny, many a thing," Chloe giggled. "So how was your summer?"

"Pretty dull. Everyone coming and going at all hours of the day. And cleaning. Oh, I will be so happy if I never have to see another dust rag in my life. What about you? How was your trip to Hawaii?"

"Lots of sun. Lots and lots. I can still feel the sunburn on my shoulders."

"Mmm, was it worth it," Ginny asked, grinning.

Chloe laughed, "Hmm… Half-naked surfers with sun-bleached hair and incredible eyes. I think it was."

Ginny laughed and once more, the compartment door slid open.

"Colin," Chloe exclaimed, taking her tall friend into a hug.

"Hello to you too Chloe. And Ginny. Hey Chloe, how was your summer?"

"It was pretty good. What about yours? I sent you and Gin a few postcards, did you get them," Chloe asked.

"Yeah, the morning they came my brothers had a few of their friends over and they found the owl a bit too fascinating," Colin told her. "Oh that reminds me," he said, taking a seat next to Ginny. "I heard a few Slytherins talking on my way to see you two, and you'll never guess what they were talking about."

"Uh oh, this doesn't sound like it'll be good," Ginny said, looking at Colin.

He nodded his head continuing, "The Slytherins were happy about it, but for us Gryffindors it's not so good."

"Well, are you going to keep us in suspense," Chloe asked impatiently.

Colin smiled at Chloe's expected outburst. "Slughorn's taken on a Potions Assistant this year. Something Snape never did in his years as a teacher. And you'll never guess who it is."

"Oh great," Ginny told Colin. "Do I really want to know?"

"Probably not," Chloe added.

"Oh get it over with and tell us," Ginny insisted.

"Malfoy."

"That's not fair! We were supposed to be getting rid of him when he graduated," Chloe sulked.

"Well, we'll just have to make sure his year is as interesting as ours," Ginny replied, with an awfully Malfoy-like smirk on her face.

* * *

"Finally," Andrea Malfoy said to herself. She had arrived at King's Cross hoping to find an empty compartment where she could wait in peace for her friends.

It had been one long summer. School had ended in June. She had gone to Malfoy Manor for two weeks before leaving for the States. The three of them, her and her parents, flew to New York for a small two-week vacation. They returned to England, but Lia met up with her friend Loretta. The two of them spent another week in New York before heading to Boston and spending two weeks there. She returned with two weeks left before the start of a new term at Hogwarts. A week of that was spent with her grandparents and uncles at the Burrow. She did her school shopping just a few days before the start of the term. Before she knew it, Lia found herself back on the Hogwarts Express, waiting to meet up with her two best friends, Jackie and Kevin.

She was leaning back against the seat with her eyes closed when she heard the compartment door slid open. Opening one eye, she saw Daren Marsden leaning haughtily against the small doorway.

_The term hasn't even started, what the heck could he want,_ Lia thought to herself, sitting up.

Marsden looked like he was about to say something, but before he could someone down train called out to him. Without even looking to who had called out to him, he stood straight and slip the compartment door shut a little less than gently.

"Nice to see you too," Lia said, befuddled by what had just transpired. Marsden had actually passed on a chance to torment her? Had hell frozen over?

Before she could contemplate the idea too much the door opened again. This time, two of her fellow Ravenclaws bound in.

"Lia! How've you been? Did you have fun without us this summer," Jackie asked, hugging her friend and taking a seat beside her. Kevin sat down across form Lia in his usual quite manner and rolled his eyes to Lia at Jackie's over-enthusiasm, making her chuckle as Jackie continued to interrogate her about the past two months.

"What about you two, what did you do this summer," Lia asked after all of Jackie's questions had stopped.

Jackie answered first. "Mum dragged me off to Belize in the middle of summer, insisting we needed 'a break' from Da. So instead, I had to watch my mother flirt on the beach. I'm scarred for life, I swear."

Kevin replied, "Well it seems to me that the only thing you suffered from on that trip was bruised ego you dork."

"I can't help it if I love being the center of attention," Jackie pouted, batting her long eyelashes. A few seconds later she burst out laughing. Lia and Kevin couldn't help but smile with her.

"What about you, Kevin," Lia asked.

"Same old, same old. Went to my grandfather's and spent most of the summer there. Fishing was better than it was last year so we had some good days."

"And now school."

"School…"

"Again…"

"For the last time," Lia pointed out. Jackie sighed next to her.

Kevin smiled at the two drama queens across from him. "Well if we are done with such depressing thoughts, I believe that you two should change into your robes while I go find mine. If I find James messing with them again I swear I'll turn him into a rabbit," he said as he left the two girls.

"So did you get my postcard," Jackie asked as they began changing into their robes.

"Yup. So are you going to spill the beans to Kevin, tell him that you like him?"

"I actually had a different plan of action thought out, a little less direct."

"Less direct?" Lia doubted her friend was capable of that.

"A little."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"We're almost there. I've got to go check on Dennis and grab my robes. I'll see you ladies on the platform in a few," Colin said, leaving Ginny and Chloe to their own devices.

"Well Gin, you and Colin seem to be clicking," Chloe teased.

"Yeah, we sent letters back and forth for most of the summer. Having so many brothers there's always been someone to talk to in the summer, but this time was the first time that there wasn't anyone. They were all busy doing their own things," Ginny told Chloe, not knowing what her friend was up to.

"So. What do you think of Colin," Chloe asked.

"You two are my best friends. With you on the other side of the globe, he's the one who kept me sane this past summer. He's like another brother to me," Ginny said, thinking aloud.

As they changed, they were quiet, and Ginny was thinking about the way Chloe reacted when Colin was around hand when he was mentioned.

"You know Chloe, you should just tell him how you feel about him," Ginny said as they exited the train compartment.

"What are you talking about Ginny," Chloe asked, not sure what her friend was thinking.

They weren't able to say anything else as they were sucked into the crowd, onto the train platform. Before Ginny could reply or Chloe could ask again, they were walking with Colin to the carriages. There was room for eight people in each carriage, and Colin, Ginny, and Chloe were joined by two Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff. Chloe and Ginny sat on one side with the Hufflepuff. Colin sat across from Chloe, between the far side of the carriage and the two Ravenclaws. The three older Gryffindors rode in silence, listening to the three fourth year girls gossip about the latest piece of Hogwarts news, Slughorn's choice of a Potions assistant.

One of the Ravenclaws told her friends, "I hope he ends up teaching a few of the classes. He's so cute!"

Ginny turned to Chloe and rolled her eyes.

As they exited the carriage, Ginny waited until the girls were out of earshot before saying, "first, I hope McGonagall knows what she's doing, letting Malfoy back at Hogwarts, I mean it's a known fact that he's a Death Eater. And second, if that blonde vermin ends up teaching one of our classes I'm going to the Infirmary with any complaint that'll keep me out of the dungeons."

"Hear hear," Colin agreed as they walked into the Great Hall for the Welcome Feast. Sitting down at the Gryffindor table, they were sucked into the conversations around them.

Durning the usual set of announcements, Professor McGonagall announce the revival of an old Hogwarts tradition of masked balls. There were to be three through the year, with an unmasking only at het last one, in May. The first would be Halloween. The ball would be a costu me ball, with a theme of the past. Students were invited to come as a figure of the past, muggle or wizard. She aslo informed them of the opening of a costume shop in Hogsmeade where they could rent or buy costumes. For many it looked to be one of the highlights of the year.

* * *

Later that night Chloe and Ginny were organizing their things for the next day and getting ready for bed.

"I was serious about what I said on the train," Ginny said while she was rummaging through her trunk.

"I don't know what you're talking about, " Chloe said, sounding like she didn't quite believe herself.

"I saw the way you reacted to Colin on the train. I saw it last year too. Are you really going to lie and say I'm wrong?"

Chloe sat down on her bed, holding her pillow to her chest like a homesick first year. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"But what if he does," Ginny replied, hoping Chloe would listen.

"Besides, he probably likes you, especially if you two talked most of the summer. I mean where was I? In Hawaii surrounded by cute surfer boys!"

"Okay, take a deep breath. Trust me."

"Trust you, Ginny, you're like my sister, but the last time you said that we almost got detention with Filch for a month."

"Almost. But we didn't. All right I'm ready for tomorrow so I'm going to bed. Night."

"Night."

* * *

"So, Do you think that we'll have a shot at the House Cup this year," Kevin asked as they climbed into the horseless carriage outside Hogsmeade Station.

"If Lia and Marsden keep from getting in too much trouble, I think we can. I'm not sure I want to see Gryffindor win it _again_," Jackie replied.

"There'll be pigs in the trees and Popsicles in hell before Marsden'll learn to tolerate me. I still don't get what his beef with me is anyway," Lia said. She really had no idea. She hadn't been at the castle long enough to make any enemies when Daren Marsden began his torment. The cheeky bastard had picked on her before she even sat down for breakfast.

"Well lets hope that the professors have thought out their schedule a little better and didn't even put you two on the same floor for classes," Jackie replied.

"I just want to survive NEWTS this year," Kevin said.

"You just had to bring those up," Jackie said, holding her head in her hands. "As if testing us in fifth year wasn't enough they have to do it again, with harder tests the second time around. God save us."

The three friends arrived at the castle a few minutes later and were walking up the castle steps on their way to the Great Hall when disaster struck.

"Look who it is boys. Check out who decided to come back for another year. Haven't you had enough yet Malfoy? I would have thought for sure you'd go back to your sanctimonious American school after last year " Marsden said malevolently.

"Oh geez," Andrea murmured to herself at the verbal onslaught. Of course, she'd been expecting something to happen. "Move it Marsden," she said when the tall green-eyed young man moved into her path. He'd always been a bit taller than her, but Andrea noted that Marsden seemed to have grown over the summer, because instead of staring at his nose like last year, she was eye-level with his chin.

"What's going on here you two? Come one, into the Great Hall everyone." Professor Potter put himself between the two teenagers just in time. "  
Go take a seat Mr. Marsden," he said sternly. Once he was gone, Harry turned around to address Lia. "You two are almost as bad as your father and I were. You should know better than to let him bait you. I don't want to see anything like last year happen." In a quieter, less formal tone, he added. 'If you're going to do anything to the bugger, do it on the Quidditch field."

"I'll try," Lia promised.

"And I expect you two to help," Harry said to Jackie and Kevin, smiling.

"No worries Professor," Jackie replied as the four of them walked into the Great Hall. When they sat down, Jackie whispered to Kevin, "I wouldn't miss this year for the world. If nothing else, Lia and Marsden will be fun to watch on the Pitch." Kevin chuckled and shook his head.

"Just as long as we don't get dragged in too. I have no desire to spend a night in the Hospital this year. Hear that Lia?"

"Loud and clear you two. Don't worry, I picked up one or two things this summer on how to deal with pains in the ass."

Jackie leaned over to Kevin, loudly whispering, "You better watch your back Kev." They quietly laughed as the Sorting Ceremony began.

* * *

That night Lia lay in bed, listening to the rhythmic breathing of her sleeping roommates, glad to be back at Hogwarts, looking forward to the upcoming school year. Slowly she fell asleep, unmarred by nightmares or unpleasant thoughts.

* * *

­­The same was not true for an occupant across the castle.

"_If she ever breaks through that hard shell you have over yourself, she'll see the person I know is hiding inside. She'll see what you're so scared to show the rest of the world. Good luck with the rest of you life Daren Marsden."_

Daren woke with a start, shaking off the memory of this past summer. He had gone fishing with his father in France while his mother stayed in Paris and drank and partied to her heart's content. The fishing trip had been a blessed escape from his mother who had gone into one of her drunken rages at the beginning of the summer and tried to hex him out of existence again. Abigail Pucey had never been known for her patience and that did not change when she married and became Abigail Marsden, or when she had a beautiful baby boy. Early in Daren's life, his mother developed a drinking problem. He and his father soon discovered that she was one irate drunk. It had become habit to escape on a fishing trip for two or three weeks over the summer with his father, but this summer Daren's father had only been able to take him for a week. Work had called him back to England and then sent him to Belgium. Daren had been forced to stay with his mother in Paris. It hadn't turned out as bad as he thought. His mother slept all day and was out all night. He was pretty much left to his own devices. Naturally curious, he had ventured out into muggle Paris and done some exploring. While at the Musée d'Orsay, he met a girl by the name of Sarah Marks, from Kerry. There had been nothing serious between the two of them, but not because she didn't want it. They had departed on not-so-easy terms. Thoughts of what she said the night before he left kept him up some nights. Who was she to assume she knew him? She hadn't known him long enough, right?

Daren forced his mind to think about something else, like sleeping. The coming day was the first day of classes and he didn't want to be falling asleep. That was for the rest of the year. A few minutes later, he joined the rest of the castle's occupants in peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"It's a sunny, warm afternoon, and look where we are. Stuck in the dungeons in the hardest class this establishment offers. Tell me again, why did we willingly enlist in this torture?"

"Because, Mr. Creevey, we are the best of the best. If we don't, who will? And besides, at least we have it easier than those before us," Chloe said, walking down the steps two at a time.

"She's got a point," Ginny agreed. "Remember the millions of essays we had to write? I remember when we were in the library in fourth year, watching the older students cram for their tests and try to get one more inch of information into their essays?"

"Okay so it could be worse. But still. I can't believe we're sitting through this _again_. You'd think we'd have learned our lesson from these past six years," Chloe mumbled as Colin reached for the heavy dungeon door.

* * *

The next morning, timetables were handed out and the seventh years were reminded that they were actually expected to work in the coming months.

Jackie sighed, looking at her schedule. "As if I needed to be reminded of the classes I signed up for."

"What do you have today," Kevin asked.

"Ancient Runes, Potions, and Arithmancy. What about you two?"

"Defense, Potions, and Arithmancy," Lia replied.

"Defense, Potions, and Herbology," Kevin said.

"NEWT… I'm beginning to really hate those letters. Only nine months of this stuff. Oh joy," Lia groaned.

"Hmm I wonder if there's just has just NEWT level Potions class this year," Jackie thought out loud.

"I wouldn't doubt it. Don't you remember at the end of last year, if you failed you were out."

"Yeah, do you really think that everyone in those classes passed? Although if we did, who knows who couldn't."

"Actually," Jackie began, "I ran into Meghan, the Hufflepuff that was in our class and she dropped it. And there is no way that Kerensky, that clumsy Slytherins, passed with the way his scores were at the end of the term." The three friends knew that they were part of a handful of students who had decided to take the class again. They were with the elite, and that was that.

For the rest of breakfast the friends made casual conversation between themselves and those around them talking about everything from their schedules and upcoming classes to the new Quidditch season and who had the best chance of winning the House Championship at the end of the year, seven months away. Soon everyone drifted back to their dorms to retrieve their books for the day.

"Come on Kev, we've got to run if we want to make it to Defense on time. See ya at lunch Jack!" They went their separate ways, already falling in to a familiar routine.

* * *

"Today's assignment is relativly simple, just to get you back in the hang of things. You are to make a standard batch of the Vedidinus balm on page 247 of your textbook. The ingredients required are on the back counter. Now I expect a full container from each of you at the end of class."

The student silently filed past the back table, gathering what they would need to complete the potion. For most of the period, Slughorn walked around the class, obsearving, and ready to prevent any explosive mistakes.

While Ginny had been skeptical about the rumor of Slughorn's new assistant the day before, Professor or rather, Headmistress McGonagall had confirmed it the previous evening before the Welcoming Feast. Malfoy had yet to make an appearance in the day's classes, accoring to the gossip going around at lunch. There hadn't been a sign of him until several things smashed in the back storeroom. Slughorn frowned as he walked over and opened the the storeroom door. There was Draco Malfoy, covered in green goo, and dripping all over the stone floor. Slughorned whispered a few words to him before summoning some fluffy towels and a bucket. Slughorn closed the door, leaving the young man to clean up the mess. "Back to work class."

Shelly Benson, one of the two Hufflepuffs that managed to pass the previous year of Potions, wasn't able to completely conceal a giggle.

"Everyone, back to work, that concotion I'm seeing in some of your cauldrons is in desperate need of attention."

Just a few minutes later Ginny Colin and Chloe were taking note of the homework and bringing their finished assignments up to the front of the class.

"Day one is officially over," Chloe said as they emerged from the dungeons. "Did you two see Malfoy dripping with that bogey colored goo?"

"The highlight of my day. Maybe even the year. You do realize that he was covered in Vedidinus, right? I'd bet that he'll be numb for a few hours," Colin laughed.

"That'll put a nice dent in his reputation. Of course its still far from humbling," Chloe giggled as they dropped their things off in their dorms before heading out onto the grounds to enjoy the afternoon.

* * *

Dusk was falling and Lia was sitting by herself at a table in the library, moving through her homework. Kevin and Jackie were taking a break from homework and going on a run before dinner, promising they would finish up later. Their first day back had been pretty uneventful. Defense had been easy, Professor Gabriel hadn't assigned much for their first day back. Same with Arithmancy. Of course, Potions was a different story. Besides the homework they were assigned, it was the one class of the day when Andrea and Marsden were in the same room. So far, nothing had happened, they hadn't set fire or exploded anything, but Jackie insisted it was 'just a matter of time'.

Andrea was clearing the table of her Arithmancy things and was reaching to put them in her bag when she saw the slip of paper at the bottom, as if it had fallen from between the pages of one of her books. It was folded several times, but it just looked like a normal bit of parchment. In standard black ink, it read:

_"I do I know not what and fear to find  
Mine eye too great a flatterer for my mind.  
Fate, show thy force. Ourselves we do not owe.  
What is decreed must be, and be this so."_

Lia read it over, not recognizing the quote. There was no signature, no words on parchment but the quote. Andrea puzzled over the note for a few minutes before trying several spells to trace its origin. When she could discover nothing, she put her things in her book bag, pocketed the note, and headed back to Ravenclaw tower to wait for her friends.

* * *

On the way to dinner, Lia debated about telling her friends about the note she found in her bag. By the time they arrived at the Great Hall, she had decided not to say anything. After all, it was just a note with a quote on it. Where was the significance?

* * *

Saturday afternoon found many students in the Hogwarts library, working on their ever-increasing homework load.

"Explain the significance and importance of the Telefaus root in the Peretious Potion. Do either of you have anything worthwhile yet?"

"Nope."

"Not me."

"Someone please just put me out of my misery right now," Chloe said, head in hands. "Either of you want to take a break? Take a walk far from homework?"

Ginny sighed. "If I don't get this done today, I'll just keep putting it off."

"Well I say a walk sounds good Chloe," Colin said, closing his Potions text. "You sure Gin?"

"Go on you two. If I find anything good I'll let you know." Chloe and Colin grabbed their books and left the library. Ginny laughed quietly to herself when they were gone. They were so oblivious of each other.

Through their letters, Ginny had come to know more about her friend Colin much more than she had known before. In one of the letters to Ginny, Colin told her that he missed Chloe and Ginny had teased him about having a crush on their friend. Now that she thought about it, Ginny realized that her friend never denied the fact, he just sort of skipped over it. _Like he hoped I would forget about it_, Ginny realized. So much for just teasing. And while Chloe could hide things pretty well, she was piss poor at hiding things from someone who had known her as long as Ginny had. It looked like the year wouldn't be full of just classes, and that thought made Ginny smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Andrea spent most of the day outside enjoying the last of the warm weather. She and a few other members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had flown around the pitch in the afternoon, talking about the upcoming season and showing off to one another. They had also planned a tryout schedule to replace the beater and chaser that had graduated. All in all, it had been a pretty good day. Now of course, she was in the library, squeezing in a bit of Arithmancy homework before she had to head to dinner and meet Kevin and Jackie. The library was pretty much empty except for a few younger Gryffindors crouched over pieces of parchment. Third year Transfiguration essay from the looks of it.

She was just beginning to pack up when Kevin walked in and came over to where she was sitting.

"Ready for dinner," he asked, bending down to pick Lia's back off the floor for her.

"You bet. After flying around the pitch all afternoon, I'm starving. What about you? That hit from the Quaffle looked like it stung a bit."

"Yeah, Erik always manages to hit me in the same spot on my knee. There's just a small bruise, nothing that'll get in the way of conditioning for the upcoming season though."

"Oh I'm so sorry that you actually have to work like the rest of us. You know, we could always skip the conditioning and just let the other team come flying in and score on your sorry little bum," Lia laughed. "You know this is only the first week of classes and already this bag is full of crap," she said, trying futilely to put her homework and book into her book bag.

"Let me help," Kevin said, holding it up while Lia dropped her book in. Before she did, a folded piece pf parchment caught her eye. It was slightly yellow but crisp and unwrinkled, larger than the scraps around it. Before putting her stuff in, she pulled out what could only be another note.

"What's that," Kevin asked as Andrea unfolded the piece of parchment.

"I'm not sure."

_The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want._

"Interesting," Kevin said after reading it. "Did you write this," he asked as they left the library and headed to the common room.

"No. And it's not the first one either. Yesterday I found a note like this in my bag. I've got it here," Lia said, retrieving the note from a side pocket of her book bag.

Kevin read it over. "I don't recognize either of these."

I know the first one," Lia told him. "Its from a play by William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night. Same scene I had to act out in a summer workshop with a friend of mine."

"That sounds fun. I think the Muggle Studies class did a Shakespeare play a few years ago. And mum has a few around the house, but I don't recall ever reading one." Kevin's mother was muggleborn so it was understandable that there would be a few relics of that world in his life.

"Well seeing as how you practically grew up on a broomstick I don't see how you would have the time to 'lower' yourself to reading muggle literature," Lia teased as they reached the portrait guarding their common room. Kevin's father, Oliver Wood had married a Ravenclaw witch in his year, and with their combined love for Quidditch, Kevin learned how to ride a broomstick before he could hold a wand. It was common knowledge that Kevin, Ravenclaw keeper since his third year, inherited his Quidditch skills from his father, former keeper of the Ballycastle Bats.

As they reached the common room, Jackie was waiting for them. "I thought you two got lost. Hurry up so we can head to dinner. I know you two should be starving after all that showing off today."

"Yes Ma'am," Lia saluted, smiling. Kevin laughed and headed up the separate staircase to his dormitory. As soon as he and Lia dropped their stuff off the three friends headed to dinner in the Great Hall.

* * *

Ginny was posting the tryout schedule on the Gryffindor Notice board at the end of the first week of school. They had openings for a keeper, a seeker, and a chaser. Filling those spots would be a challenge. Those wishing to try out had a week to get ready, the tryouts were being held the following Saturday. So far, it seemed like there was enough interest to fill the empty spots on the team. 

"Oi Gin, ready for dinner," Chloe called, coming down the steps from their dorm.

"Lets go," she replied.

"Is that the tryout notice," Chloe asked as they left the common room.

"Yup, I talked to McGonagall and reserved the pitch next Saturday so we can hold the tryouts without the other houses flying around at the same time. You sure you don't want to try out? I've got a broom catalogue I picked up in Diagon Alley you could look through. And its not like you parents would ask what the money was for."

"Ginny, I'm no good on a broom, remember last year when we had that fun little scrimmage at the end of the year? I couldn't toss the Quaffle for anything."

"You could dive like no one's business after it though. Just promise me you'll think about it?"

"Fine fine. Hey Colin." Conversation stayed on the upcoming tryouts when they reached their house table. It looked like there would be quite a turnout next Saturday.

* * *

The week has flown by and before she knew it, Ginny was leaving the library late Friday night after a little last minute research for her Transfiguration essay. Tomorrow the Gryffindor Quidditch team was holding its tryouts so she needed _some_ sleep. 

Her route back to Gryffindor tower took her to the front of the castle, where a young blonde man was stumbling though the doors. _He's pissed_, Ginny realized as Malfoy walked towards the dungeons, having to go right past her. _He's completely gone_, she thought. Malfoy didn't even seem to see her until he was right next to her. He stopped, turned his head, and made eye contact with the redhead for a second before his eyes clouded over and he collapsed. She may not have had the reflexes to be a seeker, but she was by no means slow. She half-caught half-fell with him to the floor. The fall seemed to jolt what part of his brain was still functioning and he looked up at Ginny, completely relaxed.

His grey eyes were captivating. It took Ginny a few moments to collect her senses and stand up, letting a very drunk Draco Malfoy lean on her as they moved towards the dungeons.

"Where exactly are we going," Ginny asked. He may have been leaning on her, but he was the one directing their path.

The blonde beside her made no coherent answer. They finally reached a part of the dungeons Ginny had never seen and Draco stopped before a mediaeval painting with a somber crusader as the main figure. He jumped up from the chair he was sitting in when he saw the two coming toward his painting. Malfoy spoke for the first time that evening, mumbling something Ginny didn't catch, but the knight obviously did because the painting swung open revealing a dark room no bigger than Hermione's Head Girl rooms had been.

"You'd best help him inside," the knight said to Ginny. She had to agree. There was no way that the man beside her could reach anything without assistance.

Candles came to life as they entered the room. His rooms were decorated dark colors. The bed was a shining mahogany sleigh bed with translucent silver hangings and a simple dark green coverlet and a few pillows. A fire was cackling merrily in the grate, as if someone had been expecting them.

Ginny automatically headed toward the bed where he sat himself down on the edge. "Thank you" he croaked softly.

Ginny whispered a simple spell to loosen the bindings of his boots. As soon has his feet here freed, he lay down and closed his yes. She had turned and was on her way to the portrait hole when he said one more thing, "Please, don't tell."

He looked much younger than his years, curled up on the bed, his grey eyes watching Ginny. "I won't," she answered.

The knight spoke again as his portrait closed quietly behind the redhead. "Best head back to your common room. Lady. Even for a seventh year this is far past curfew." He was right of course. If Filch or, God forbid, Snape caught her down in the dungeons at this hour they would have her hide, and McGonagall would go after whatever was left. Stealing through the shadows, the youngest Weasley made it back to Gryffindor tower undetected.

She lay in her bed a few minutes later, but before her mind could completely process what had happened, she was fast asleep.

* * *

That night Lia had a strange dream. She was on the far edge of a lake, on a small hill looking at the castle in the distance, but it wasn't Hogwarts. It was late spring or early summer judging by the temperature and blue sky. She was waiting for something. Or someone. She noted the skirt she was wearing and how it pooled around her when she sat on the grassy knoll. She was getting impatient. Something was going on that she was going to miss if what she was waiting for didn't arrive soon. But she still had no idea what exactly she was waiting for. Yet, that didn't bother her. After a few more minutes, she heard footsteps in the grass and a voice, "Sorry I'm late…" 

"Lia! Wake up! You're going to be late!"

"Wait what," Lia said groggily, barely able to make out the figure of her friend at the foot of her bed.

"Tryouts? You promised Libby and Kevin that you would meet them at the pitch in five minutes. Kevin is downstairs waiting for you, Libby took you brooms down to the pitch this morning."

"What time is it," Lia asked, trying to block out the offending light with her arm.

"Its almost eleven sleepy head."

"Okay okay I'm getting up. Tell Kevin I'll be down in five minutes." It was the third Friday in September and with their first match in less than a month, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team was having tryouts to fill the positions of the two beaters and chaser that had graduated the previous year.

"Hullo sleeping beauty," Kevin said as she came down from her dorm. "I grabbed you a muffin this morning since you were up so late last night and we knew you'd never get up in time."

"Thanks," Lia smiled, unusually cheery for having just woken up. "Ready?"

"See you two at dinner," Jackie called as they left.

"So what time is it really," Lia asked as they reached the main entrance.

"We've got ten minutes to get to the pitch."

Lia laughed. "Sorry I slept late. That essay took forever."

"I always thought you and Jackie were nuts for taking Arithmancy," Kevin replied.

"Yeah well… Thanks for the muffin by the way."

"No problem."

Once out in the main courtyard, Lia ran into the last person she really wanted to deal with ten minutes after waking up on a sunny Saturday morning.

"Think you'll actually pull together a team this year Malfoy? Pity you poor little birdies have such sad talent in your House." Marsden was sitting on a bench in the sun, alone.

"What do we have here? The infamous Daren Alexander Marsden without his Slytherin cohorts," Lia snapped. Thinking better, she took a deep breath before continuing "Look. If you treasure your face the way it looks right now, please don't piss me off. I woke up less than ten minutes ago and I really don't want to have to deal with you right now."

"Gods Wood, forget to give her –" She had warned him, she really had. Instead of reaching for her wand, which would have been easy thing to do, Lia pulled back her fist and hit Marsden square in the jaw before walking off. Kevin, stunned, followed a moment later, barely able to control his laughter.

"You know, you're lucky the courtyard was empty back there," he scolded Andrea.

"I warned him. And you can't say he didn't deserve it," Lia argued.

"Hey hey, I'm not arguing with you, I'm just saying that we need you this year, I don't want Libby to have a heart attack trying to replace you for a game because you got in trouble."

"Yeah I know. But it would kinda be fun to watch you guys scramble," Lia joked, grinning as they reached the Quidditch pitch.

Libby Anderson, Ravenclaw's team captain and one of its chasers was waiting for them. "Uh oh, Kevin, I'm not sure I like the look on Lia's face. What did you two do?"

"I didn't do anything" Kevin defended himself. "But you might want to keep an eye out for a fill-in chaser this season," he grinned looking at Lia.

"Oh boy," Libby replied, laughing as they walked onto the grassy field where many of their housemates were waiting to begin.

* * *

The quote is from Ben Stien, odd I know.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4

Andrea spent most of the day outside enjoying the last of the warm weather. She and a few other members of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team had flown around the pitch in the afternoon, talking about the upcoming season and showing off to one another. They had also planned a tryout schedule to replace the beater and chaser that had graduated. All in all, it had been a pretty good day. Now of course, she was in the library, squeezing in a bit of Arithmancy homework before she had to head to dinner and meet Kevin and Jackie. The library was pretty much empty except for a few younger Gryffindors crouched over pieces of parchment. Third year Transfiguration essay from the looks of it.

She was just beginning to pack up when Kevin walked in and came over to where she was sitting.

"Ready for dinner," he asked, bending down to pick Lia's back off the floor for her.

"You bet. After flying around the pitch all afternoon, I'm starving. What about you? That hit from the Quaffle looked like it stung a bit."

"Yeah, Erik always manages to hit me in the same spot on my knee. There's just a small bruise, nothing that'll get in the way of conditioning for the upcoming season though."

"Oh I'm so sorry that you actually have to work like the rest of us. You know, we could always skip the conditioning and just let the other team come flying in and score on your sorry little bum," Lia laughed. "You know this is only the first week of classes and already this bag is full of crap," she said, trying futilely to put her homework and book into her book bag.

"Let me help," Kevin said, holding it up while Lia dropped her book in. Before she did, a folded piece pf parchment caught her eye. It was slightly yellow but crisp and unwrinkled, larger than the scraps around it. Before putting her stuff in, she pulled out what could only be another note.

"What's that," Kevin asked as Andrea unfolded the piece of parchment.

"I'm not sure."

_The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want._

"Interesting," Kevin said after reading it. "Did you write this," he asked as they left the library and headed to the common room.

"No. And it's not the first one either. Yesterday I found a note like this in my bag. I've got it here," Lia said, retrieving the note from a side pocket of her book bag.

Kevin read it over. "I don't recognize either of these."

I know the first one," Lia told him. "Its from a play by William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night. Same scene I had to act out in a summer workshop with a friend of mine."

"That sounds fun. I think the Muggle Studies class did a Shakespeare play a few years ago. And mum has a few around the house, but I don't recall ever reading one." Kevin's mother was muggleborn so it was understandable that there would be a few relics of that world in his life.

"Well seeing as how you practically grew up on a broomstick I don't see how you would have the time to 'lower' yourself to reading muggle literature," Lia teased as they reached the portrait guarding their common room. Kevin's father, Oliver Wood had married a Ravenclaw witch in his year, and with their combined love for Quidditch, Kevin learned how to ride a broomstick before he could hold a wand. It was common knowledge that Kevin, Ravenclaw keeper since his third year, inherited his Quidditch skills from his father, former keeper of the Ballycastle Bats.

As they reached the common room, Jackie was waiting for them. "I thought you two got lost. Hurry up so we can head to dinner. I know you two should be starving after all that showing off today."

"Yes Ma'am," Lia saluted, smiling. Kevin laughed and headed up the separate staircase to his dormitory. As soon as he and Lia dropped their stuff off the three friends headed to dinner in the Great Hall.

* * *

Ginny was posting the tryout schedule on the Gryffindor Notice Board at the end of the first week of school. They had openings for a keeper, a seeker, and a chaser. The latter was a position Ginny was surprised to have empty again. Demelza Robins caught Harry's eye two year ago with her Bludger-dodging skills, but her parents pulled her out of Hogwarts when they moved last year. She wasn't the first, or the last to leave.

Filling those spots would be a challenge, but so far, it seemed like there was enough interest to fill the empty spots on the team. Those wishing to try out had a week to get ready, the tryouts were being held the following Saturday.

"Oi Gin, ready for dinner," Chloe called, coming down the steps from their dorm.

"Lets go," she replied.

"Is that the tryout notice," Chloe asked as they left the common room.

"Yup, I talked to McGonagall and reserved the pitch next Saturday so we can hold the tryouts without the other houses flying around at the same time. You sure you don't want to try out? I've got a broom catalogue I picked up in Diagon Alley you could look through. And its not like you parents would ask what the money was for."

"Ginny, I'm no good on a broom, remember last year when we had that fun little scrimmage at the end of the year? I couldn't toss the Quaffle for anything."

"You could dive like no one's business after it though. Just promise me you'll think about it?"

"Fine fine. Hey Colin." Conversation stayed on the upcoming tryouts when they reached their house table. It looked like there would be quite a turnout next Saturday.

* * *

The week has flown by and before she knew it, Ginny was leaving the library late Friday night after a little last minute research for her Transfiguration essay. Tomorrow the Gryffindor Quidditch team was holding its tryouts so she needed _some_ sleep.

Her route back to Gryffindor tower took her to the front of the castle, where a young blonde man was stumbling though the doors. _He's pissed_, Ginny realized as Malfoy walked towards the dungeons, having to go right past her. _He's completely gone_, she thought. Malfoy didn't even seem to see her until he was right next to her. He stopped, turned his head, and made eye contact with the redhead for a second before his eyes clouded over and he collapsed. She may not have had the reflexes to be a seeker, but she was by no means slow. She half-caught half-fell with him to the floor. The fall seemed to jolt what part of his brain was still functioning and he looked up at Ginny, completely relaxed.

His grey eyes were captivating. It took Ginny a few moments to collect her senses and stand up, letting a very drunk Draco Malfoy lean on her as they moved towards the dungeons.

"Where exactly are we going," Ginny asked. He may have been leaning on her, but he was the one directing their path.

The blonde beside her made no coherent answer. They finally reached a part of the dungeons Ginny had never seen and Draco stopped before a mediaeval painting with a somber crusader as the main figure. He jumped up from the chair he was sitting in when he saw the two coming toward his painting. Malfoy spoke for the first time that evening, mumbling something Ginny didn't catch, but the knight obviously did because the painting swung open revealing a dark room no bigger than Hermione's Head Girl rooms had been.

"You'd best help him inside," the knight said to Ginny. She had to agree. There was no way that the man beside her could reach anything without assistance.

Candles came to life as they entered the room. His rooms were decorated dark colors. The bed was a shining mahogany sleigh bed with translucent silver hangings and a simple dark green coverlet and a few pillows. A fire was cackling merrily in the grate, as if someone had been expecting them.

Ginny automatically headed toward the bed where he sat himself down on the edge. "Thank you" he croaked softly.

Ginny whispered a simple spell to loosen the bindings of his boots. As soon has his feet here freed, he lay down and closed his yes. She had turned and was on her way to the portrait hole when he said one more thing, "Please, don't tell."

He looked much younger than his years, curled up on the bed, his grey eyes watching Ginny. "I won't," she answered.

The knight spoke again as his portrait closed quietly behind the redhead. "Best head back to your common room. Lady. Even for a seventh year this is far past curfew." He was right of course. If a prefect or the Head girl or Boy, or God forbid, Filch caught her down in the dungeons at this hour they would have her hide, and McGonagall would go after whatever was left. Stealing through the shadows, the youngest Weasley made it back to Gryffindor tower undetected.

She lay in her bed a few minutes later, but before her mind could completely process what had happened, she was fast asleep.

* * *

That night Lia had a strange dream. She was on the far edge of a lake, on a small hill looking at the castle in the distance, but it wasn't Hogwarts. It was late spring or early summer judging by the temperature and blue sky. She was waiting for something. Or someone. She noted the skirt she was wearing and how it pooled around her when she sat on the grassy knoll. She was getting impatient. Something was going on that she was going to miss if what she was waiting for didn't arrive soon. But she still had no idea what exactly she was waiting for. Yet, that didn't bother her. After a few more minutes, she heard footsteps in the grass and a voice, "Sorry I'm late…"

"Lia! Wake up! You're going to be late!"

"Wait what," Lia said groggily, barely able to make out the figure of her friend at the foot of her bed.

"Tryouts? You promised Libby and Kevin that you would meet them at the pitch in five minutes. Kevin is downstairs waiting for you, Libby took you brooms down to the pitch this morning."

"What time is it," Lia asked, trying to block out the offending light with her arm.

"Its almost eleven sleepy head."

"Okay okay I'm getting up. Tell Kevin I'll be down in five minutes." It was the third Friday in September and with their first match in less than a month, the Ravenclaw Quidditch team was having tryouts to fill the positions of the two beaters and chaser that had graduated the previous year.

"Hullo sleeping beauty," Kevin said as she came down from her dorm. "I grabbed you a muffin this morning since you were up so late last night and we knew you'd never get up in time."

"Thanks," Lia smiled, unusually cheery for having just woken up. "Ready?"

"See you two at dinner," Jackie called as they left.

"So what time is it really," Lia asked as they reached the main entrance.

"We've got ten minutes to get to the pitch."

Lia laughed. "Sorry I slept late. That essay took forever."

"I always thought you and Jackie were nuts for taking Arithmancy," Kevin replied.

"Yeah well… Thanks for the muffin by the way."

"No problem."

Once out in the main courtyard, Lia ran into the last person she really wanted to deal with ten minutes after waking up on a sunny Saturday morning.

"Think you'll actually pull together a team this year Malfoy? Pity you poor little birdies have such sad talent in your House." Marsden was sitting on a bench in the sun, alone.

"What do we have here? The infamous Daren Alexander Marsden without his Slytherin cohorts," Lia snapped. Thinking better, she took a deep breath before continuing "Look. If you treasure your face the way it looks right now, please don't piss me off. I woke up less than ten minutes ago and I really don't want to have to deal with you right now."

"Gods Wood, forget to give her –" She had warned him, she really had. Instead of reaching for her wand, which would have been easy thing to do, Lia pulled back her fist and hit Marsden square in the jaw before walking off. Kevin, stunned, followed a moment later, barely able to control his laughter.

"You know, you're lucky the courtyard was empty back there," he scolded Andrea.

"I warned him. And you can't say he didn't deserve it," Lia argued.

"Hey hey, I'm not arguing with you, I'm just saying that we need you this year, I don't want Libby to have a heart attack trying to replace you for a game because you got in trouble."

"Yeah I know. But it would kinda be fun to watch you guys scramble," Lia joked, grinning as they reached the Quidditch pitch.

Libby Anderson, Ravenclaw's team captain and one of its chasers was waiting for them. "Uh oh, Kevin, I'm not sure I like the look on Lia's face. What did you two do?"

"I didn't do anything" Kevin defended himself. "But you might want to keep an eye out for a fill-in chaser this season," he grinned looking at Lia.

"Oh boy," Libby replied, laughing as they walked onto the grassy field where many of their housemates were waiting to begin.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It had been one year, ten months, one weeks, and five days since he started down the path set down before him by his family. It had been one year, two months, and three days since he began running from it. He ran from the Death Eaters chased him around the globe, eventually making it harder for them to track him, even using magic.

In the beginning, it took them maybe three days to catch up to him. He had even used muggle transportation a few times, but still they discovered his locations with ease. For his seventeenth birthday, his mother and father had given him a charmed pendant that would warn him of any impending danger. His third stop was when he found an ancient variation of the Find Me spell, one he doubted many people knew nowadays.

Not soon enough he abandoned it on a muggle ferry in the middel of Quebec. _That should keep them scrambling for a little while, _he thought at the time. But still, it wasn't enough to keep the Dark Lord's lackeys off him for long. He would have two or three worry-free weeks before they found him, and another week of planning an escape before they were on top of him. The last straw came in a marketplace in eastern Brazil. As soon as Draco laid eyes on McNair and his hounds, he took his second trip aboard an airplane. There was only one person he knew of that could help him, but only she knew if she would. So back to Britain he headed.

His first stop was Gringotts, to move the money that was left in his account to a different one. His father set up the current account, and therefore, Lucius could claim it after several moths of paperwork with the Ministry and the goblins. Once it was protected, Draco made his way through the crowds of shopping students to the Apparation point in the Alley. Soon he was walking up the path to Hogwarts, a path he had walked many times before as a student. He found the giant doors to the castle open. Walking thought them, he once again felt like a little first year out to prove he belonged in such a place. The castle once again held his fate in its very stones.

He hadn't returned to the castle since that fatefull night a little over a year ago. He had takeing his NEWTs by use of a private tutor, the way his father had wanted for the past several years. Returning was much hadrer than he htought it would be. The moonlit silohuitte of the Astronomy tower haunted him as he walked through the halls to the Headmistress's office. Having been a prefect in his school days, (and a Slytherin) he knew its location, but it was the fact that the large griffin moved to the side as he neared that was slightly unnerving. It was if he was expected.

"Ah Mister Malfoy. How can I help you young man?" The warmth with which Minerva McGonagall welcomed him was surprising. "Please, have a seat. I believe the house-elves will be bringing up a tray of sandwiched in a bit. Ah, help yourself," she said, motioning to the platter that appeared on her desk.

"Thank you professor," the blonde said, taking a seat. "I am umm, in need of some… assistance," Draco began, but he discovered that he did not quite know how or where to begin.

After Draco's long pause, McGonagall gently said, "when in doubt, the beginning is generally a good place to start."

"He's a madman, twisted with thoughts of revenge," Draco stated. "His idea of training his servants is the have them massacre a group of schoolchildren not older than 13. What kind of person plans things like that for months on end?" She listened, smiling sadly as he continued. "I couldn't stand it. So I left," he simply stated. "I've been on the run for more than a year, with him never more than a few weeks behind me. Death Eaters tracked me everywhere, even when I resorted to Muggle transportation. I can't run forever, even I know that. I was hoping there was some way I could stay here, perhaps as an assistant to a teacher."

"You have to understand Draco that were you to stay here, you would not be allowed out of the castle without supervision, it would be too dangerous. You would be confined within theses walls. That is the only way I could even partially guarantee your safety."

"I understand," Draco replied.

"Well if I recall correctly, you had very good NEWT scores in most of your subjects. Any idea which field you would do best in?"

"I was thinking of Potions, Ma'am."

"Excellent choice, as I believe Professor Slughorn is in the market for an assistant. I don't think he could object to a fellow Slytherin. He's probably working on lesson plans as we speak, let see what he thinks of the idea. " Professor McGonagall stood up and moved to the fireplace where she tossed in a bit of Floo Powder and said clearly, "Horace Slughorn's Potions Lab," and conversed quickly with its occupant.

Sitting back down at the desk, the Headmistress motioned to Draco's teacup. "More tea? Horace should be joining us in a few minutes. Please, have a bit to eat while we wait."

Sure enough, in a few minutes, they were joined by the Head pf Slytherin. At first he was surprised at Draco's wish to join the staff, but he warmed up quite nicely as it soon came apparent that if he did not accept him, Draco would be turned over to Lord Voldemort for a traitor's trial as soon as he stepped foot off the grounds. Not long after, the deal was sealed. Draco was officially the first Potions Assistant that Hogwarts had seen in almost twenty years.

* * *

Draco was given quarters in the dungeons, close to the Potions masters own. The term was to begin in two weeks, so Draco spent his days preparing ingredients for the school year and brewing most of the potions that Madame Pomfry required for the year.

While he would not be teaching any classes in the first part of the year, Slughorn was considering giving Draco control of the younger classes in the spring.

When the term began, Draco was still brewing potions for the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfry kept a well-stocked cabinet for the school. On one of the first days of classes, Madame Pomfrey requested a jar of Vedidinus balm for a clumsy first year that had just had his first flying lesson. Of course, the jars Draco needed were on the top shelf of the storage room in the Potions classroom, and because of the items stored there, magic was not allowed. He had to climb up to reach them. Fate being the fickle fiend that it is, the jars came down, one his head and the other two on the ground close to him. While the numbness wore off by the next day, the smell lingered. For almost three days after Draco walked around smelling like menthol and eucalyptus.

By the end of the second week of the term, Draco had been cooped up in the castle for almost a month. He needed to get out, if only for a few hours. He still had some money left over from his trip to Gringotts and a glamour spell he had been perfecting since the beginning of summer. Hidden beneath the folds of his cloak, Draco made his way out of the castle and towards Hogsmeade. Once his glamour was in place, he stepped into the Hog's Head. Fire whisky seemed the perfect cure for the growing headache that was sitting right behind his eyes. The next morning, Draco couldn't recall how many drinks he had downed, nor did he remember making it back to the castle before the alcohol drastically affected his magic. What little he did remember was limited to stumbling into the castle and being helped to his quarters by none other than Ginny Weasley. His only coherent thought as she helped him to his bed hed been that he could get lost in her beautiful brown eyes.

The next morning he had a hangover from hell and skipped breakfast to brew the remedy. There would be no more middle of the night excursions to go get drunk he knew, unless he wished to be caught. And that was never good.

The days flew by much faster than Draco remembered from when he was in school. The first Quidditch match of the season rolled around and Draco was again itching to get outside the castle walls. This would be a perfectly safe chance to. It was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, not a game he was really interested in, by hey, he wasn't going to be picky.

Once again, the youngest Weasley strutted her stuff, flying like she was born on a broom.she flew up and down the field, almost always with the Quaffle in her hands, on her way to score again. Being a Chaser was definitely what she was good at. A smile crept upon his face as he remembered the last game he had seen her in, playing seeker opposite Cho Chang. Potter had been in a rightfully earned detention with Snape. She had managed to grab the golden ball a moment before her opponent did, winning game and Cup for her house. For all her flying, she hadn't seemed too confident as a seeker; she was almost hesitant to drop in after the little Snitch, but of course, that wasn't enough to stop her.

Soon Halloween was almost upon them. McGonagall announced the pickin

* * *

g up of an old school tradition some weeks ago, of masked balls. The first of these would be on Halloween. As the day came closer, the Headmistress went into a littlem ore detail on it. Students were invited to dress as characters from history, muggle or wizard. It would begin at seven, an hour after the feast. It was open to third years and above, and would end at midnight. There would be a harmless variant Disillusion charm on the hall for the night, for those who wished for anonymity with their dance partners. All of these dances would have such a charm, and it would not affect life outside the balls, but would not be broken until the end of the last one of the year, in May. In the halls, Draco heard many of the girls cooing about how romantic they thought it would me. Romantic was not exactly the word he would have picked. Annoying and pointless was more like it. As a staff member, he was required to chaperone these festivities. And dress with as the rest of the school.

At first he thought me may be able to get out of it, on the account that he had no costume and no way to get one. But the week before the ball, Professor Slughorn knocked on his door after dinner with a hanging garment bag.

"Since you are not able to procure your own costume, Minerva asked me to find one for you," he told Draco. "Now ddon't look so worried, Madame Napier had a ide variaty and it wasn't had to find something to suit you. Just return it to me sometime next week, but hold onto the mask until May."

"Thank you Professor," Draco replied, so used to the formalities he used as a student.

"Don't worry about it my boy, goodnight."

Taking the bag to his bed, Draco opened it to reveal an 18th century ensemble, complete with a top hat and cape. Both black of course, with a velvet doublet in black with hunter green piping at the seams and edges. The pants were black, designed like the dress slacks that were hanging in his closet, but still slightly different in how they hung and fastened. A separate bag hung from the hanger, with the mask inside it. It was black, _porcelain_, he thought, lined with silver. It had no strings; a simple spell would keep it in place. If nothing else it would be nice to have a night were he could forget who he was and perhaps live a little.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Halloween was a Hogsmeade day for the older students, and many were headed to the village's rather large costume shop in the east end. Ginny, Chloe, and Colin made their way right after breakfast to pick up their costumes.

"It's still so weird to see Malfoy every day," Chloe said, once they passed the blonde who was watching the students from the main entrance.

"Uh oh, be careful, don't get Ginny started on that," Colin warned.

"Don't worry guys, you have to admit, it's not as bad as we thought it would be," Ginny replied. "How many words has he said to us all year?"

"Yeah, that's true. Do you remember the thing in Potions on the first day?"

"That was pretty funny," Chloe admitted.

"That must not have been too good for his ego. I know you remember what it was like when he was a student," Colin stated.

"Hey, I totally forgot to ask you guys, what do you think of the charm they're going to have on the hall," Chloe asked, changing the topic.

"I think it'll be pretty cool, I mean, we can talk to people without inhibitions because they won't know you unless they know your costume."

"I agree," Colin replied as they reached the shop.

"Hey you guys, the owner said she'd hold the costumed I owled for. While you guys are looking, I'm going t pick it up," Ginny told her friends. They headed to the back of the store to browse as Ginny stood in the small line that had started at the register.

"So have any ideas," Colin asked.

"Not really. You?"

"No idea. I'm not good at this stuff. Even before Hogwarts, I was never the one who made up the costume ideas."

"Well I think this would be perfect for you," Chloe responded, picking up a court jester outfit in green and white.

"You're kidding right," Colin asked.

"No, think about it, with you're smile, you'd look great. And besides, the green and white is totally Tudor."

"Chloe, you can't be serious."

"About the Tudor part? No. Just wait till Ginny gets back, she'll agree with me." They browsed for a few more minutes until Ginny caught up to them.

"Find anything good?" She was holding a green box under her arm as she came up to them.

Chloe got right to the point. "I haven't found exactly what I want yet, but don't you think this would look great on Colin," she said, holding up the jester costume.

"Yeah, Colin, it would. You should get it, before someone else does. It's starting to get crowded in here," Ginny replied.

"Fine, fine, I'll meet you two out front," Colin smiled. He headed to the front of the store as Ginny talked to Chloe about her costume. In a few minutes, they were outside with Colin, watching the large amount of people heading into the shop to get costumes for the evening. The three friends, each carrying a box under an arm, headed to the Three Broomsticks to get a bit of lunch before returning to the castle.

* * *

"So Lia, what are you planning to dress as this year," Jackie asked as she and her friend walked through the familiar costume shop.

"Hello girls," Mrs. Napier said from behind the counter.

"Hi Mrs. Napier," they echoed as they walked to the back.

As they began browsing, Lia answered Jackie's question. "I actually already have my costume, my dad delivered it last week. That box that was on my bed, Avalon delivered it. Loretta designed the costumes for a play at school, and she insisted it was perfect for this. And he picked up a mask for me while he and Mum were in Venice last month."

"Well, are you going to tell me about it?"

"You'll see it tonight dork."

" Lia, what about this one," Jackie asked, pulling out a vintage halter dress in deep red.

"Oh, that' looks great."

"Hey you two, I'll meet you outside, its beginning to get crowded in here," Kevin said, carrying the store's signature green box with him.

"Hey wait Kevin, wouldn't this look great on Jackie," Lia asked, holding up the dress.

"Yeah it would, go on and get it Jackie."

"I'll meet you guys outside then," Jackie said, heading to the line forming at the front of the store.

"Wait, Lia, aren't you getting something," Kevin asked.

"No, my costume's waiting at the castle," she told him. "So what's in the box?"

"Just don't tell Jackie, I want to surprise her," he said, and seeing the look that was about to cross her face, he added, "And none of that 'aww' crap, please." Andrea nodded her head and Kevin continued. "It's nineteenth century and muggle. A three-corner hat, blue vest, loose white shirt, black pants, and a grey sash. And Devon's got boots he said I could borrow."

"Mmm, swashbuckling scallywag, are we?"

"Aye, it's in me blood," he imitated, laughing with Lia as Jackie came out.

"Old Jane asked about you know, she says hi," Jackie told Lia. "Asked about your mother too." Mrs. Napier had run the costume shop since it's opening some twenty-five years ago, and she knew Ginny from when she would come to the shop in her school days.

"Oh, I'll stop and talk with her next moth when everyone is returning their costumes. She always loves to have help on those days," Lia replied as they made their way to the Three Broomsticks for lunch.

* * *

After a leisurely lunch, most of the students headed back to the castle to do bits of homework or gossip about the evening before them. There was an hour between the feast and the dance, which many of the older girls felt was not long enough to 'prep'. Once seven o'clock rolled around, no one complained as the Great Hall filled with figures form the past. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Are you ready to go yet Lia," Jackie asked. "We're already a couple minutes late."

"Yeah, just about. Could you help me with the back here? I can't reach the top few closures. I'm definitely going to have a few words with Loretta on the backing of this," Lia replied. For the last several minutes, she had been buttoning up the back of the dress, but with the small pearl buttons, it was very time-consuming. "Better yet, do you know any spell to take care of this, including the unbuttoning? I have a feeling that tonight I'll just get frustrated and tear it off if I can't find an easier way about this."

"I don't know one for buttoning up, that _I_ can do, just turn around." Jackie made quick work of the remaining buttons. "The spell to undo them is simple, _aprire. _My mum uses it on Jamie to undo the buttons on his little outfits when she needs to change his diaper. Which is every ten minutes, or just about," she laughed. "Got your mask?"

"Yup, it's on my bed," Lia replied, the short heels she as wearing clip-clipping on the wood floor as she walked. However, the mask wasn't the only thing waiting for her on her bed. After having not received a note from her anonymous person in the last few weeks, Lia had wondered if, whoever it was, had stopped or given up. _Guess not_, she thought, as she saw the note lying on her bed beside the mask.

"What's that," Jackie asked, as Lia picked it up and began reading it.

_Life is a risk, and if you don't risk anything, you risk even more.  
_"_A mask tells us more than a face. "  
__--I can prove it tonight. I'll find you, a traveler cloaked in black._

"Lia?"

"No, I don't know who it's from, and no it's not the first note I've received this year," Lia told her friend, seeing the questions written on her face. "And only you and Kevin know about it."

"Wow," Jackie was silent for a moment, contemplating the first part of the letter as she read over it. "This last part looks like it was written recently, the ink hadn't fully dried when it was sealed. Who else did you tell about your costume?"

"No one, beside you and Kevin earlier. And I didn't see anyone else around."

"The shadows are wonderful for hiding. Someone must have overheard you. I wonder who this mystery person is."

Before Jackie could speculate more, Lia grabbed her mask and put the letter down. "Lets go, we're already late, as you pointed out."

"Well you better be ready to tell me all about it tomorrow," Jackie told her as they reached the Great Hall. Two more anonymous figures entered the Great Hall, which had been transformed with decorations for the evening.

One wore a dark red halter dress with her dark hair cascading to her shoulders in waves. She wore a mask a shade lighter than her dress that had black edging. It went with the small rubies she had in her ears, the red heart pendant she wore around her neck on a black ribbon, and her black pumps.

The other had her hair up in an elegant twist, only a few red and gold tendrils escaping. Her mask matched the bodice of her dress with a morning star design, with several shades of blue around the dark ivory star. It was designed like a corset, flaring slightly at the top of the lighter ivory skirt, just above her hips. The hem of the skirt had a design mirroring the bodice. The small silver rose studs matched the silver rose necklace and the silver gloves coming above her elbows.

Not long after they entered, a person Lia recognized as Kevin came up to her friend and swept her across to the dance floor.

Lia felt a little uncomfortable being a wallflower, standing there by herself. Watching her two best friends dance together, she sunk into her thoughts. _It's about time those two got together,_ she thought to herself, watching as they smiled at something said. For all Jackie's talk of getting Kevin's attention, Lia knew her friend was intimidated, if not scared of the risk involved. From the way Jackie held onto him as she laughed, he was on the right track to her heart.

Andrea sighed, thinking about the future of their friendship. Thankfully, before she could get too carried away, she saw someone enter, in a black cloak. He took a cursory glance of the room before his eyes quickly settled on Andrea. Her made his way over to her slowly, giving her time to examine what else he was wearing. Under the black travelers cloak, he was wearing a black tunic with an off-white shirt peeking out from the collar, tied with a black belt. Black pants gave way to worn black boots, obviously made of expensive dragon hide.

He smiled slightly as he stood before Andrea. "I assume you received my note?"

"I did. And the ones before them," she replied as he took her hand and led her to the dance floor. "Who are you?"

"That, I'm afraid, you must discover fro yourself."

"What about in May, when these masquerades end?"

"I'm sure that with your smarts, you'll figure it out by then,' he replied, smiling; a piece of his light brown hair falling over his forehead. His green eyes sparkled behind his black mask. Lia's eyes stopped their changing kaleidoscope and settled at their normal grey.

"I love how you're eyes do that," he commented.

"It's okay. I mean, it gets annoying sometimes. It's like wearing my emotions out on my sleeve, which is so very—"

"Gryffindor," he finished.

"Yes exactly. That is precisely what my father says about it when he's teasing me," she laughed.

* * *

Jackie was having the time of her life in the arms of her not-so-mysterious dance partner. She was so engrossed, she never noticed when her friend was swept to the dance floor by a man clad in black.

As midnight approached the crowd on the dance floor began to thin. The last several songs that echoed through the hall were slowpaced. With her head on Kevin's shoulder, Jackie finally caught sight of Lia and her mystery man. Her head was against his chest, her arms around his neck. His arm circled her waist while his head hung next to her ear. He must have whispered something to her, as she laughed against him, her smile was brighter than any Jackie had ever seen on her friend.

"Lia looks like she's having fun," Jackie said.

"Who is that," Kevin asked, wondering who his friend's dance partner could be.

"Whoever she's been receiving those notes from this year."

"Oh that's him? I wonder who it is."

"You and me both."

* * *

Ginny stood quietly by herself, beginning to regret attending the ball. Already her feet were hurting after several clumsy dance partners. Chloe was somewhere on the dance floor, where she had been since a certain masked jester walked into the hall.

The current song ended and a faster one began. Ginny saw Chloe lead Colin off the floor. She was dressed in a traditional Chinese day garb in red and blue. They walked over to where Ginny was standing and Chloe casually stood next to her. Colin was watching those on the dance floor while Chloe leaned in and whispered something to Ginny.

"You wallflowers, you're all alike. It is a night of anonymity. Take a chance on him. He may be Prince Charming."

"You don't know that," Ginny whispered back.

"Neither do you," Chloe replied. The song ended and she took Colin's hand and they walked back to the dance floor.

Ginny knew Chloe was talking about the figure across the hall that had yet to dance all night. Several times their eyes had met, and now as she looked at him, his eyes met hers. He inclined his head slightly, acknowledging her gaze. _Take a chance. A night of anonymity_. Chloe's words rang in her head. A couple dance between them, breaking their eye contact. When they had moved on, he was no longer standing there. Surveying the room, she didn't see him. not until he was walking toward her.

Taking a small bow he said, "may I have the honor of this dance mademoiselle?" He smiled, his eyes sparking as he awaited her answer and pushed back a lock of blonde hair that had escaped it confines.

She curtsied slightly replying, "Yes you may monsieur."

His cape flowed around them as they danced. Her dress swirled around her as he twirled her.

"So why haven't you danced all night," Ginny asked.

"The time wasn't right," he replied, dramatically spinning her once more and making her laugh. "But you looked like you were having fun. Especially after being stepped on for the hundredth time."

"Oh you have no idea," she replied, making him laugh.

That was how the night passed between them, with laughter and smiles. As the night drew to a close, Ginny found herself wishing it could go on forever. It wasn't often she met someone who could make her laugh so easily _and_ dance at the same time. She wasn't the only one wishing that the night could last longer.

Twirling her to the current song, Draco found himself caught in the moment, and he wanted to remember it forever. Her auburn hair and ivory skin. Her white dress with the gold embroidery, swirling around her. Most of all, he never wanted to forget how she looked when she laughed, how her smile spread across her face as she laughed. He didn't care who she was, he just knew he didn't want to lose her at midnight. She brought out the very best in him. The best he didn't even know he had—until then.

* * *

"What," Ginny asked, noticing her dance partner's stare.

"Oh, nothing," Draco answered, giving her a small smile and making her blush. "The night is coming to an end."

"I wish it could go on forever," Ginny whispered into his chest. He chuckled in response, a sound that echoed from deep in his chest. 'Me too. But before tonight does end, and these clothes turn to rags, I must ask you one question."

"Just one," she asked, making him laugh, a sound foreign to his own ears, for it was not often he had the liberty to be so free.

"For now," he answered. "Can—Can I—," he stuttered uncharacteristically. For some reason the young woman before him made him weak in the knees with her stare and made his brain turn to mush. The last song came to an end, his time was running out. Ginny looked up at him, confused. "Kiss you," he finished quietly, reddening a little.

Ginny smiled up at ham and brushed her lips against his. He smiled in relief for a moment before meeting her. it was a gentle kiss, but it felt so right. Draco tightened his grip around the small figure in his arms. The clock struck midnight before Ginny broke the kiss.

"I've got to go," she mumbled, turning for the door before she could be stopped. Half a moment after she was out of his reach, Draco ran after her. She was fast, too fast for him to catch up, but not fast enough for him to lose track of her completely. He followed her with his eyes out the hall, and when he left the hall after her, he felt the charm wear off. His eyes immediately recognized the head of red hair he had followed into the corridor. _Ginny Weasley. No it couldn't be._ But it was. The dress, the hair, but most of all, the smile he could see as she caught up with her two friends. The only comprehendible thought that crossed his mind when he saw her laugh was, _oh dear_.

* * *

"Okay, your turn," Lia told her mysterious dance partner.

"All right. The strangest combination of Bertie Bott's you've ever had."

"Toffee and hot pepper. I thought the hot pepper was cinnamon."

"Ouch. I had the er—pleasure of mixing scrambled egg with liver. Even butterbeer couldn't wash that taste out." Lia laughed and he twirled her out once more. "Your turn," he told her, pulling her in close and smiling as they danced faster.

"Okay, how did you feel when you received your Hogwarts letter when you were eleven?"

"Relieved."

"Relieved?"

"I would be able to escape my mother for months at a time instead of weeks on vacations with my father," he replied solemnly.

"Oh wow, I'm sorry."

"Don't' be. It is a fact I long ago came to terms with. What about you? I grew up knowing who I was, but you didn't. What was it like to find out you were a witch."

Lia thought a little bit before answering. "Exciting. Confusing. Mostly confusing. It made me wonder more about who my father was. My mother never told me, we actually never talked about it. And of course, I had never seen her do the littlest amount of magic. She was less surprised than I thought she would be, especially when she had to help me get my supplies in Hangman's Lane."

"Hangman's Lane?"

"Yeah, it's Salem's version of Diagon Alley. It's the largest group of wizarding shops in New England. It's relatively new, I think."

"What about when you came to Hogwarts?"

"That was… intimidating. The academy I went to was much smaller and nowhere near as grand as Hogwarts. But it just felt _right_."

Neither noticed how quickly time passed, and the end of the night was upon them. they danced slowly together as the last song wound down.

He was the first one to break the silence. "It's time. Goodbye Lia." Before leaving he laid a sweet kiss on her cheek and smiled. He was gone before Lia could do anything. Running to the entrance to the hall, she couldn't find him anywhere. Even outside, among her masked schoolmates it was impossible to find anyone. Her mind wandered as she walked to her common room. The possible identity of her admirer perplexed her. Who was her anonymous admirer? Thoughts like those swarmed her mind. She was the first of her roommates to return. Using the spell Jackie had told her, Lia slipped out of her dress and into her pajamas and into bed. It was then she realized just how tired she was, and when Jackie came in ten minutes later, Lia was sound asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

I went through past chapters and changed a lot of things to keep this story true to the books, detail-wise.The story-line did not change drastically. If you have't read HBP and are reading this, be warned, there may be spoilers in coming chapters. There are no spoilers in this chapter, but if you let me know, I can post a warning beforehand in folowing chapters. And now onto the story!

**Chapter 9**

She was sitting on a grassy knoll, on a day where the weather couldn't have been better. It was cool, but not so much to warrant a jacket or jumper, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The grass echoed the warmth of the setting sun, brushing gently against her legs in the breeze that also made her skirt flutter. Looking around, Lia realized that she was in a dream; one she thought she might have had before. A few feet in front of her was a lakeshore. The water ebbed and flowed quietly. Across the lake was a castle. In her dream, she recognized it, but knew it wasn't Hogwarts. Her dream self laugh almost nostalgically at the thought of Hogwarts. As the moments past, she could feel herself getting anxious. Something was supposed to happen, and it was taking a while. But what was it? As the minutes past, she was getting more anxious to go, but worry was also creeping around her thoughts. _I'm not supposed to be waiting this long_. Yet she still had no idea just what she was waiting for. She stood up as she heard footsteps behind her.

"Finally," she heard herself say.

"Sorry I'm late," whoever had walked up, replied.

"We're going to be late you know." Lia found herself turning slowly, to face whoever she was speaking with.

"I know, I know—"

Before she even finished turning to face the speaker, a bright light shined in her eyes. The sunlight. It was streaming through a crack in her bed curtains. _Great timing_.

Turning over, Lia knew there was no way she would be going back to sleep. Instead, she stared at the canopy above her head, trying to make sense of the dream. She knew she had it before. _Right before Quidditch tryouts_. There was more to it that that time though, even though she still had no idea who was in the dream with her. _Although, that voice _did _sound familiar._

In the few minutes she lay there, her roommates began waking. One by one, the bed curtains were opened, not all with occupants happy to see the sun shining brightly.

"It can't be morning already. I swear I went to bed only five minutes ago," one girl said. Several groaned in response.

"What time is it anyway," someone asked.

Lia reached an arm out from behind her bed curtains to her bedside table, feeling around for her watch. "9:03."

"Oi Lia, open up and join the world of the living," Jackie said from her bed. "I didn't see too much of you last night," she said as Lia opened the curtains. "And when I came up here, you were already asleep. That bad, eh?"

"Its never too early for your tongue is it,' Lia joked. "Well, I'm awake, anyone else for heading to breakfast?" Within an hour Lia, Jackie, and their three roommates were heading down for breakfast.

"Whoa, look who's up," one of the seventh year boys said as the girls came and sat down across from them. "We didn't expect to see you guys until at least lunch."

"Hahaha."

* * *

"Hey you two," Ginny smiled as she caught up with her friends on the stairway. 

"Wow, you shot out of there quick," Chloe said. "I just saw you giving mouth-to-mouth with that mysterious wallflower," she added, making Colin laugh at the muggle phrase.

"What are you looking at," Ginny asked, noticing Chloe scrutinizing look aimed over her shoulder.

"A phantom," Chloe replied. Ginny laughed as she looked over her shoulder, not seeing whatever her friend was. Whoever Chloe was looking at had disappeared.

Who Chloe had seen, was no phantom. Even without the arrogant lies crossing his face, with looks of curiosity and confusing lighting it instead, there was no mistaking the platinum blonde hair peeking out from the pulled–up mask. He was gone when Ginny turned, making her wonder if he really had even been there.

"Chloe," Ginny said worriedly. "Are you all right?"

Her gaze lost on the crowd, Chloe replied airily, "I'm not the one to be worried about."

* * *

"Lia, are you nuts? Why are you sitting next to an open window in this weather," Jackie asked seeing her friend sitting on the floor next to the window in their dormitory. She had her Potions book open in her lap, and a pile of notes beside her, both looking a bit neglected at the moment. 

"What? Watching snow fall never killed anyone. Well, unless you were part of the Donner Party."

"The Donner Party? Never mind," Jackie replied. "That may be the case, but people do die of weather exposure, with or without spells and charms. And from the looks of it, you have neither. Now shut that window and let's head to dinner. Kevin, Jules, and Taylor are waiting for us." Lia did so, like a scolded child.

"Yes Mommy," she teased.

Jackie softened, and smiled. "Did you find what you were looking for yet?"

"No, but I know the answer is somewhere, I just haven't found it yet. The Professor wouldn't have let me do it if I couldn't find it."

"I'll never understand why you chose such complex equations for your project. But your right, the bat may be strict and meticulous, but he wouldn't let you waste time with something you couldn't do. And now, to food! And besides, we don't need you to catch a cold right before our game against Slytherin on Saturday, now do we? Libby'd have my hide if you get sick," she finished as they left the common room.

* * *

Days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, and before they knew it, the winter holidays were almost upon them. 

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, with perfect conditions for that day's Quidditch game, Ravenclaw verse Slytherin.

Ravenclaw's Quidditch team waited in their locker room, beneath the pitch stands. Each member sat in a spot that had become their own, talking amongst themselves, laughing with their teammates. They were done with the pre-game pep talk, something that their captain kept mercifully short.

"Teams to the pitch," they heard Professor Potter yell. Quickly each person grabbed their broom and lined up as they walked out of the locker rooms. "Now I don't want to send anyone to Madame Pomfrey before this game is over, is that clear," he said, looking pointedly at Marsden and Lia. "I mean it, "he added, trying to conceal a grin. "All right then, players to the air." A few moments after everyone had kicked off, he released the balls, saving the Quaffle for last.

As soon as the maroon ball was in the air, a green blur swept it up and headed down to the goal posts. Kevin was ready though. He caught the ball and tossed it to Libby who shot downfield. One of the Slytherin beaters barely missed his mark as Libby swerved to the side and dropped the ball into the hands of Tyler Watson, the other Ravenclaw chaser. Before he got too far, he was blindsided by one of the Slytherin Chasers. He tried to pass it to Libby, who was open, across the pitch, but it was intercepted by Marsden. His throw to score was caught by Lia, who was waiting for him. She zoomed downfield, dodged a Bludger, and tossed the ball to Tyler, who scored.

"Ten points to Ravenclaw, scored by Tyler Watson, a fourth year who made the team this year, replacing Sophie Macon," the announcer said.

The Slytherin Keeper waited until her teammates were spread out around the field to throw the Quaffle to the nearest Chaser. Tyler left the player he was guarding to help Lia, who was now playing defense. Together they gained the ball back.

Coming under pressure, Tyler tried to throw the ball to Libby, but it was intercepted and taken for a Slytherin goal.

"Ten points to Slytherin! The score's tied, ten-ten."

Lia watched the two seekers circling above, out of the corner of her eye as she waited for Kevin to get rid of the Quaffle. Lia flew some crazy eights to lose her guard and get the ball. She raced to the goal posts on the opposite side, with two Slytherins on her tail, coming up on the sides.

"Oh heck no," she said to herself, pulling up and throwing to Libby who was off to her right.

The game continued with the ball passing back and forth. 20-10, 50-30, 90-50. By the time the seekers set off for the snitch, the score was 130-90, Slytherin. Cara was moments behind the Slytherin seeker, reaching to catch up.

"Daphne Tucker and Cara Taylor have seen the snitch! Both are in their first year on their house teams. They're winding around the Slytherin goal posts, creating enough of a distraction for Malfoy to shoot one in! 130-100, still with Slytherin. Taylor and tucker are neck and neck now, and Marsden's racing downfield with the Quaffle. Oh and Malfoy's was waiting for that one! She steals it and passes to Watson. He tries to pass, but it's intercepted by Warren. And he takes it past Wood for a score! 140-100, Slytherin. The seekers are still lat it, and it looks like Taylor's pulled even with Tucker, no, she's ahead of her now! And she's got it! Ravenclaw wins, 140-240!"

The players came down to the grass and headed to their locker rooms, some to sulk, and some to celebrate.

"Good job today," Professor Potter told Lia as they left the stadium. "I'm glad there was no repeat performance of last year," he told her.

"Yeah, well he started that one," she insisted, smiling. The last time that Ravenclaw and Slytherin played, Lia and Daren got a bit rough. Both ended up with several detentions and a single-game suspension, and had to spend the night in the Hospital together. It had been the climax of their malicious behavior toward each other, and while some of their peers walked on eggshells around them, the incident had not repeated itself.

"It seems like you two have figured out how to share the same oxygen in a room without going at it," he commended.

"Oh yes, it has absolutely nothing to do with that we're so busy with NEWTs just a few months off. We've been getting study packs and tutoring schedules in every class. They're gonna work us to death before the tests even come around," Lia smirked.

Professor Potter laughed. She was definitely a Malfoy. "I wouldn't doubt it. Just don't celebrate too hard now, you may be a Ravenclaw, but I know that doesn't mean you're head's stuck in a book," he said as Lia reached her friends. "I mean it."

"We'll try." He smiled as he headed into the castle with the rest of the staff and students.

Jackie had an arm over Kevin's shoulders, and put her other over Lia's shoulders. "Good job out there today. Both of you. You realize that we're on our way to being in the running for the Cup, don't you? Although I have to say that if we are going to get that far, Lia you might want to work with this one a little more in practice," she joked.

"Hey now, " Kevin defended, acting hurt.

"He didn't do that bad of a job," Lia replied. "Libby was just so concerned with offensive training with Tyler, that defensively, we kinda suck."

"Well whether you suck or not, first round of butterbeers next weekend, is on me."

Kevin laughed. "Now that's what I wanna hear!"

* * *

Ginny was slaving away in the library working on her Arithmancy essay as dusk approached. Both Colin and Chloe were outside enjoying the last of the sun before an approaching blizzard came in. It was the Friday before the holidays, and since Ginny was the only one who had chosen to take Arithmancy, she was left in solitude to do her work. If only she could concentrate to write a few more inches of parchment. Tomorrow was a Hogsmeade day, and Sunday the castle would empty of most of the students for three weeks. 

Sitting with her back to the door, the window table she was at had a breathtaking view of the grounds. Snow lined the path from the castle, awaiting Saturday afternoon when it would most definitely be made into snowballs. Sighing as she put down her quill and capped her inkbottle, she felt the little hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Someone was watching her. The library had been almost empty when she arrived, most students enjoying the outdoors or packing, and she hadn't heard the door creak open since a group of third year Ravenclaws left. However, once she turned in her chair, she saw no one. She could have sworn someone had been there moments earlier.

Deciding she wouldn't get more work done on an empty stomach, Ginny packed her things. As she left the library, a familiar smell caught her attention. She recognized the spicy smell from somewhere, but her mind couldn't quite place it. Realizing she had been standing there for longer than normal, she shook her head of its thoughts; perhaps she had just imagined the familiarity. She made her way to the Gryffindor common room where she waited for her friends and for the dinner hour.

* * *

A/N: sorry this took so long! Part of it was done when I left, but I couldn't think of anything to add while I was gone, so it was finished just a few days ago when my muse came back, having stayed behind in Jeselo.

And for those who may not know who the Donner Party is, or need to refresh their memories of 4th grade, they're a group of pioneers that came west and became stranded in the Sierras when winter came. Many who didn't freeze starved or resorted to cannibalism.


End file.
